When shopping for fish, I come across many varieties that I’ve never seen before. It’s a joy to find fish so fresh that I just have to have them, and to luxuriate over how best to prepare them. That’s a daily occurrence in Hagi, so buying fish and vegetables is a personal pleasure. The vegetables are so bursting with flavor—carrots and turnips are sweet and packed with umami—that you get a sense of the farmers living nearby and the power of the land.

Before coming to Hagi, I worked as a chef in Tokyo. My forte is French cuisine, and I trained in Lyon for about three and a half years. Unlike Paris, where you have people from all over the world, Lyon is basically all locals. That’s how I learned why French cuisine is so well suited to the nation’s climate and environment.

That experience instilled in me a desire to do the same thing wherever I go—to create cuisine symbiotic with the local environs. As a result, one example is that I hardly use butter or cream anymore, and our dessert courses feature wagashi Japanese sweets made by a proper wagashi confectioner. In that way, we offer something you’ll find only at Rikki: French cuisine imbued with the best of Hagi. I feel it’s the best food I’ve ever made.

I’m most particular about temperature, and a thermometer is one of my essential utensils. It’s especially important when cooking meat; I measure the temperature multiple times to ensure it’s served at the perfect level of doneness. The optimal temperature varies depending on the variety of meat, the brand, and the cut, so it’s always a major challenge. I also like to introduce a sense of playfulness, for instance by incorporating a little fun into the opening amuse-bouche to help diners relax.

As a chef, I strive to do everything with maximum care and attention. Even with something as basic as slicing meat, you have to make sure you are not too rough on the fibers. The same goes for elements other than the food itself, including the tableware, the room, and the way I communicate with the staff—it’s all part of the customers’ dining experience. We are a team of professionals here at Rikki, who are serious about combining our individual strengths in a way that enables people to spend their time pleasurably and comfortably.

PROFILE
Hiroshi Taniguchi
Born in Ishikawa in 1982. Trained at fine restaurants in Tokyo and Lyon before becoming chef at Rikki in March 2024.